Boulders' Smith out to forge his own career

Jun. 16, 2011

Written by

Sam Borden

Journal News columnist

If you are Ozzie Smith's son and you play baseball, there is one question you get asked all the time, everywhere you go, any time you meet someone new. So we might as well just get it out of the way from the top.

"Yes, I can do the back-flip," Dustin Smith says, laughing. Then he turns serious. "You know, what I tell people is 'I can but I won't,' " he says. "That was something that people knew my father for and for me, I'm my own man and I'm a different person. That was something special that was his."

Smith is trying to find something that can be his own. He knows that may be difficult in baseball, the sport in which his father became a legend and a Hall of Famer, but it is his love. He has gone to small towns in Texas like Robstown and Corpus Christi to play, and to Newark to play in the Atlantic League. Now, this year, he comes to Rockland. At 23 and entering his third year in pro ball, Smith is a do-it-all infielder/outfielder for the Boulders.

"I want to put all my effort into baseball," he says. "I don't think anybody's goal is to stay in independent ball. I have a chance to make it to the major leagues, I can't speak for everybody, but for me, I'm not content or OK with just stopping at independent ball. I want to achieve everything possible. My goal is to make it to the major league and to make an impact. There's no other option than that."

During the offseason, Smith thought he would probably end up back in the United League this year, so he was making some calls to various teams. Then he heard from some friends about a new team starting up in the Can-Am League, and when he found out that Dave LaPoint was the Boulders' manager it seemed like a sign. LaPoint played with Ozzie Smith on the 1982 Cardinals team that won the World Series, so he was pleased when he got a call from his former teammate.

"He asked if I could take a look at his son," LaPoint says. "The first thing I saw was the speed. Is it nice being able to help an old teammate who probably helped me get quite a few wins? Of course. But that's hardly the only reason. There was a lot of speed there and he was the utility type of player that I was looking for at the time."

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Already this season, LaPoint has used Smith at second base, left field and DH, and, as Smith says, "I have a lot of gloves." He likes that LaPoint was influenced by legendary Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog, and prefers an aggressive style of play. He likes to bunt and run and steal.

Mostly, he just likes to play. The reality of independent ball is that it's rare for even the biggest stars to make the leap back to the highest levels of affiliated ball, and so a utility player like Smith has an even tougher road to travel.

His attitude never wavers though. LaPoint even says he thinks Smith could someday have a career as a public speaker or entertainer, if the baseball goal doesn't pan out. "He's that kind of personality," LaPoint says. "He's so upbeat and personable and positive. The genes are there, too." (Smith's brother, Nikko, was on "American Idol.")

Maybe that is in the future, but for now Smith is focused on the game. He grew up in major-league outfields, running after fly balls during batting practice with players like Brian Jordan and Willie McGee and Ray Lankford. He watched them play the game, watched his father be one of the best. Then, at age 15, he stood at a lectern in Cooperstown, looked out on a sea of red and gave the introductory speech before Ozzie Smith came up on stage and was formally inducted into the Hall of Fame.

"Sometimes I forget how good he actually was until I watch some of his old highlights," Smith says. "I mean, I look at him as my father."

It is easier that way. Smith doesn't think of himself as a Hall of Famer's son playing independent ball, doesn't think of himself as special. He can't. Yes, he can do the back-flip. And yes, he's had experiences like few others. But all of that matters little now. Smith isn't here to talk about his memories. He's here to make some memories of his own.